Mechanical contractor Patrick Waunch, who is president and CEO of Rambow Mechanical in Kelowna, BC, is the recipient of the Canadian Construction Association’s 2016 CCA Trade Contractors Award. The association cited Waunch’s “infectious enthusiasm and dedication to the growth…
Despite the higher price tag, stainless steel water heater tanks are often more cost effective when lifecycle costs are compared and should be presented as such. Domestic water heating appliances are the real foot soldiers of the mechanical world. They…
Utilizing the heat migrating up from earth’s 6100C inner core to produce electricity (geothermal energy) and to help comfort condition buildings year-round (geothermal HVAC) seems like a logical choice. The question is why aren’t we doing more of it? The…
As the North American hydronics industry has grown, so has the complexity of its systems. Many installations that are now featured as award winning examples of hydronic heating contain thousands of parts and pieces. They can be so complex that…
As unpleasant and challenging to work with as they are, grease interceptors are a necessary and vital part of the plumbing system for commercial, industrial and institutional applications. The professional contractor has a number of roles to play in this…
Growing your business by expanding to another province is a big step and the process can be complicated. Before beginning operations in a second province you have to determine if your company is legally able to do business there. Federally…
When I started my career some 25 years ago hydronic controls were pretty rudimentary. At best, they could control what they were designed for, but they were pretty much standalone. There were little application controllers and were often only good…
Refrigeration systems operating with saturated suction temperatures below freezing will eventually experience an accumulation of frost on the evaporator tubes and fins. The frost serves as an insulator between the heat to be transferred from the space and the refrigerant,…
The HVAC and plumbing industry in Canada is in for some profound changes with the coming wave of new building codes, policies and regulations. All levels of government–federal, provincial and municipal–are pushing hard to go green and reduce the impact…
It is well known in industry circles that when designed and installed correctly, hydronic heating and cooling systems deliver the highest possible efficiency and comfort to building occupants. Likewise, hydronic snow and ice melting systems provide safety, convenience and access…
Einstein’s definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If that is true, there are some “insane” hydronic system designers in North America. They repeatedly cling to certain system piping configurations, even though…
Contractors and technicians find themselves on the front line trying to help occupants obtain the benefits of cleaner air. The American philosopher, naturalist and historian, Henry David Thoreau, best known for his 1854 book, Walden, wrote, “What is the use…
In HPAC’s December 2016 issue the article Troubleshooting Pointers for Commercial Pumps discussed some of the more common but simple reasons for pump issues that may be resolved without major work. This article serves as a continuation of that discussion…
Designers of modern hydronic systems strive for two important objectives: a reliable system and an energy efficient system. Achieving these requires proper equipment selection as well as attention to water quality. Unfortunately the latter is often overlooked, or left to…
It is inevitable that refrigeration systems operating with saturated suction temperatures below freezing will eventually experience an accumulation of frost on the evaporator tubes and fins. The frost serves as an insulator between the heat to be transferred from the…
Whether it is a Canadian general election or a U.S. presidential contest, there always seems to be one candidate will promise to stimulate the economy by cutting taxes, relaxing regulations, eliminating red tape, and reducing the size of government. This…
Thermal storage tanks play an important role in several types of hydronic heating and cooling systems. This is especially true of systems with renewable energy heat sources such as solar thermal collectors, heat pumps, or biomass boilers. The most common…
When troubleshooting commercial pumps it is always important to note the type of symptoms, the point at which the symptoms began and the time period over which the symptoms developed. In particular, consider whether something changed in the system prior…
Lately I have been noticing during reviews that designers are selecting fan/coils without regard to system efficiency and control simplicity. A few extra minutes of evaluation can add several efficiency points while eliminating the need for mixing strategies. Let’s start…
A Canadian has landed in the Guinness World Records as the oldest actively employed plumber, and at 92 years old, Lorne Figley of Saskatoon, SK has no intention of laying down his wrench any time soon. It was Figley’s daughter,…
I met with a supermarket chain recently and the subject of refrigerant leaks came up. This is not surprising given the fact that R22 prices continue to escalate as the supply continues to shrink. I asked the director of facilities…
A furnace tune-up is really a comprehensive maintenance job. Contractors know that it is essential to maintain a long-term relationship with every customer by providing timely preventive maintenance (PM) at least once per year. It is better to work with…
Many systems with renewable energy heat sources also have large thermal storage tanks. Examples include systems using biomass boilers and solar thermal collectors. I call these heat sources “wild” since they can operate over a wide range of conditions and…
The key to a properly operating walk-in box system starts with a good design and the basis of a good design is to accurately determine what the refrigeration heat load is. To do this one has to realize that heat…
“Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink.” It has been 40 years since I first read these words in my high school English class and for some reason…
The 28th annual Construct Canada show, the country’s largest building, design and construction event, will run Wednesday, November 30 through Friday, December 2 in downtown Toronto at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, located at the base of the CN Tower.…
What is the right path to success in business? There are many answers to this question and for every answer opinions abound as to which one is right. Everyone would agree that finding success is one thing, keeping it is…
Recently Wilma Leung, my new favourite sage, and her progressive team from BC Housing-Homeowner Protection Office hosted 340 builders and affiliated service providers from British Columbia to participate in my class on thermal comfort for vulnerable populations. The program included…
The Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute (HRAI) held its annual conference August 24 to 26 at the Hyatt Regency in Calgary, AB. Themed Making Every Connection Matter, the event opened with a Year in Review presentation. While reviewing material…
Professionals looking to boost water conservation often set their sights on the biggest — and often most expensive — water-using equipment in a facility. But while big-ticket items are an important part of overall conservation, there is a lot to…
